• Despite PM’s renewed offer of dialogue, no formal contact has been made with the PTI • Politicos view latest offer as ‘earnest’; say it cannot have come without Pindi’s consent DESPITE Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s renewed offer of national dialogue , apparently directed at the main opposition Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), no concrete steps have so far been taken by the government to initiate a formal talks process. On the other hand, PTI leaders say they are waiting for the government to make the first move and establish contact to begin negotiations. Meanwhile, Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) — a coalition of opposition parties of which PTI is an essential component — has welcomed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent invitation for talks. Against this backdrop, PTI’s incarcerated founder Imran Khan appears to lack visible international support, either for his release or for opening a channel of dialogue with the rulers. When contacted, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed that no serious effort had been made. “Not yet. Haven’t witnessed any progress,” he said, responding to a question about efforts to initiate talks. Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah stressed that PM Shehbaz would decide on talks with PTI once the opposition party clarifies its stance on negotiations. “Maybe once they clarify their position, they can respond to the PM’s invite,” Mr Sanaullah said while speaking to Geo News on Friday. “The offer was directly initiated by the PM. Their (the PTI’s) response, which the media finds complicated, has been received. Once we get clarification from them, the PM will make a decision, either forming a committee or meeting with them directly,” he said. There is a perception in political circles that the government’s dialogue offer was made in earnest and “is desired by the establishment”. A senior PPP leader, who did not want to be named, said the prime minister would not have extended an offer of talks without the consent of “Rawalpindi”. He suggested that recent international developments, which he said led to praise for Pakistan’s civil-military leadership, indicated that Western powers might be seeking Islamabad’s support for “something big”. He added that these powers might believe that political stability in Pakistan was imperative for achieving such objectives. On the question of foreign support for Imran Khan, he said the PTI founder did have some backing abroad. Responding to the observation that the government had not yet reached out to PTI, the PPP leader said that in such situations, parties rarely move directly to the negotiating table. “Otherwise, it weakens each other’s stance,” he said, adding that back-channel contacts were often employed in such circumstances and could already be in play. Imran vs Zulfikar vs Nawaz Political analysts say Imran Khan’s situation was quite different from that faced by former prime ministers Zulfikar Ali Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif during their respective periods of imprisonment. They recalled that when Gen Ziaul Haq overthrew Mr Bhutto and the latter faced execution in 1979, several international leaders — including Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, King Khalid of Saudi Arabia and Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi — appealed for clemency, but Gen Zia turned down all those requests. Similarly, Nawaz Sharif began a period of exile in Saudi Arabia in 2000 after being released from prison by the military regime of Gen Pervez Musharraf. His life sentence was commuted following an agreement brokered with the Saudi royal family, which acted as guarantor that Mr Sharif would stay in Saudi Arabia for 10 years and not return to Pakistan during that period. Analysts argue that no such international effort has emerged in Imran Khan’s case, mainly because he allegedly failed to maintain cordial relations, even with states traditionally seen as friends of Pakistan. ‘Support is coming’ Speaking to Dawn, PTI’s chief whip in the National Assembly, Amir Dogar, said the government had so far made no contact with the opposition for negotiations. He said the government’s attitude towards PTI did not coincide with the prime minister’s public statements on dialogue. “If they are serious, they must allow relatives and friends of Imran Khan to meet him in jail and release elderly PTI leaders who were sent behind bars three years ago,” he said. Asked whether Imran Khan had received support from abroad, Mr Dogar declined to provide details but said, “Support is coming.” He added that Mr Khan was not ready to go into exile and was determined to face his cases. “He was offered to go abroad, not for 10 years but for five. But he refused.” Mr Dogar claimed. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, president of the Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (Pildat), said TTAP had responded positively to the prime minister’s offer, but described Imran Khan’s apparent stance as indecisive. “We have seen in the past that Imran Khan allowed his party leaders to hold talks with the government but later refused to accept what his team had agreed,” he said, referring to previous negotiation attempts. Mr Mehboob also noted that while opposition parties welcomed the dialogue offer, Imran Khan had simultaneously called for countrywide protests on Feb 8. He stressed the need for both sides to open back-door channels to create space for formal talks. Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2025